6.23.2008
You Can't Ban Odinism In Prison
The Indiana federal district court has conclusively ruled that prisons can't ban a faith because of hypothetical problems. In this instance, Odinism and the various white supremacist groups that infiltrate and exploit the faith.
"...an Indiana federal district court has ruled that the Indiana Department of Correction's policy banning all group worship for Odinists violates RLUIPA. In Hummel v. Donahue, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47534 (SD IN, June 19, 2008), the court held that while the interest in maintaining safety and security is compelling, prison officials must do more than speculate that a religious practice will lead to problems. Here officials were concerned that white supremacists would claim to practice Odinism, but presented no concrete evidence to support this. Secondly, there were less restrictive alternatives than totally banning group worship. These included pre-approved scripts for worship services, increased training for correctional officers, pre-approved volunteers from outside to lead services, and research into solutions found by other prison systems."
As the court hinted, one very easy way to stem the tide of racist Odinist groups is to invite more Pagan/Heathen chaplains in. Currently, the prison system is completely skewed towards Christian modes of belief, and as a result non-Christian prisoners are treated to widespread discrimination and hostility. However, some prison systems are slowly coming to the realization that allowing Pagan chaplains in can help reduce recidivism and create a healthier support network for Pagan inmates susceptible to the overtures of racist gangs masquerading as religion.
"Bolstered by President Bush's recent signing of the Second Chance Act, which promises more money for faith-based programs to help rehabilitate prisoners, corrections officials and religious volunteers are testing the largely unproven theory that faith can not only salvage criminals, but — in the long run — make the rest of us safer, too ... In Colorado, a volunteer network of chaplains offers 216 programs and the Department of Corrections recognizes 36 faiths ... those traditions range from Asatru, a polytheistic Norse religion, to Native American rituals to nature-based Wicca ... Credible research on the effectiveness of faith-based programs remains sparse and inconclusive. But corrections experts and volunteers agree that such efforts, coupled with education, counseling and other therapies, could be part of the solution."
Pagan-friendly corrections departments in places like Colorado and Washington are leading the way into the future. A future where Christianity isn't the only religious remedy for the troubled and violent soul. A future that Indiana will now be forced to at least partially embrace in the next sixty days. Let's hope they embrace the change mandated by the courts, and adopt some of the more progressive methods of quelling racist strains of Pagan religion. No doubt the Odinist/Asatru community in Indiana would look forward to more openness and cooperation from prison officials.
Labels: Asatru, Chaplaincy, Heathen, law, litigation, Odinism, Paganism, Prison, racism
6.11.2008
Racism, Odinism, and Custody Battles
The Winnipeg Free Press reports on a woman working to get custody of her two children back after her daughter arrived at school with a swastika drawn on her arm. The woman, an Odinist, claims to be "tolerant of all people" despite the fact that she is married to an admitted white supremacist, and admits to being a "white nationalist" who wears swastika-etched jewelry
"The day her seven-year-old daughter went to school in March with a swastika drawn on her arm, her mother said she tried to wash it off with nail polish remover but the marking stayed put. Her daughter forgot her sweater a mother gave her to cover her arm. When her mother arrived to collect her child from school, police were waiting for her. "The only thing that matters to me is my children. It's not about politics, it's not about anything else... it's about what's best for them ... I've never forced my beliefs on my children." The woman's seven-year-old daughter and two-year-old son were seized by Manitoba Child and Family Services this spring due to concerns their father -- an admitted white supremacist -- was filling their minds with hate and marking one child's body with racist graffiti. The children are now staying with relatives.."
One could reasonably argue that if her children have "pro-Hitler" markings on their bodies then she has done a poor job of "not forcing" the beliefs of the parents onto the children. Further, while the lines between being a merely "folkish" Germanic Heathen, and being a racist white supremacist Odinist may seem blurry and vague to some unfamiliar to the religious culture, it seems rather obvious that a line was crossed from mere Eurocentricity into neo-Nazi gutter-philosophy. Harboring a stay-at-home husband who she classifies as "flamboyantly bigoted", and allowing Nazi-related markings to be made on her children (self-directed or not), speaks of a fundamental failure to insulate her children from toxic racism.
Now split from her husband after reading the Child and Family Service reports, the woman still entertains notions that the pro-Hitler markings were entirely self-directed, and refuses to admit any failings as a parent.
"The mother, who refused to comment on where the swastika marking came from, suggested her daughter may be responsible for other pro-Hitler markings CFS said they found on her body. "It's entirely possible she could have drawn it on herself," she said"
In this case, the references to "Odinism" by the mother and the press seem to be a red herring. This isn't about religious discrimination, this is about her children being raised by a toxic racist with a criminal record who either drew or encouraged the children to draw pro-Hitler markings on their bodies. Removing them from his presence and placing them with relatives seems prudent. What do you think? Where is the line between intellectual freedom and abusive indoctrination drawn? What would you have done if you were CFS official responding to a concerned teacher's report?
* I realize that there are some who want to reclaim the swastika from its racist/fascist connotations, but you can't un-ring a bell. So long as the memory of Hitler, and idiots who seek to glorify him, persist, the immediate connotations of the symbol will be with racism and fascism.
Labels: Asatru, Canada, Children, custody case, Heathen, Odinism, Paganism, racism
